Supply Chain Management: Implementation Issues and Research Opportunities

© There is a great deal of confusion regarding exactly what supply chain management involves [1]. In fact, most people using the name supply chain management treat it as a synonym for logistics or as logistics that includes customers and suppliers. Others view supply chain management as the new name for purchasing or operations, or the combination of purchasing, operations and logistics. However, successful supply chain management requires cross-functional integration of key business processes within the firm and across the network of firms that comprise the supply chain. The challenge is to determine how to successfully accomplish this integration. First, supply chain management is defined. Next, sections describing what supply chain management is not and business process management are presented. Then, the framework for supply chain management is described followed by sections on the management components of supply chain management and mapping the supply chain. Finally, suggestions for implementation and conclusions are presented. Case studies conducted at several companies and involving multiple members of their supply chains are used to illustrate the concepts described.